"The Lorelei Signal" was the fourth episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series. It was produced in TAS' first season and debuted on 29 September 1973. The episode was directed by Hal Sutherland and written by Margaret Armen, who also authored the TAS episode "The Ambergris Element" along with three TOS episodes and one Star Trek: Phase II episode. Appearing in Star Trek: Log Two in August 1974, it was the fifth episode to be novelized by Alan Dean Foster.
In this story, James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard McCoy and Carver suffered from hyperaging.
Description
- VHS teaser
- The male crew members of the USS Enterprise react strangely to a siren-like distress call from a planet of females. When the officers become captives on the planet, Lt. Uhura assumes command of the ship.
Log entries
Episode log entries
Captain's log, stardate 5483.7. The Enterprise is en route through an unfamiliar sector of space where a series of Earth Federation ships have disappeared mysteriously during the last 150 years. Recent joint discussions with the Klingon and Romulan Empires have revealed that a starship has disappeared in this sector precisely every 27.346 star years.
Ship's log, stardate 5483.8. Engineering Officer Scott in command. We are in orbit around planet two in the Taurean system. Probes and sensors indicate there was once a vast civilization here. Lovely. Lovely. However, life readings are sparse and concentrated. Captain Kirk is beaming down with a scouting party to investigate.
Captain's log, stardate 5483.9. The beauty of this place is unequaled. It's the answer to all of man's dreams. Exquisite in every way. We're here to investigate, to investigate... The women radiate delight.
Ship's log, supplemental. Lieutenant Uhura recording. Due to Chief Engineering Officer Scott's euphoric state of mind, I am assuming command of the Enterprise, I accept full responsibility for my action. A detailed account will be recorded later.
Ship's log, supplemental. Lieutenant Uhura commanding. We have assembled an all-female rescue party in accordance with Mr. Spock's request.
Novelization log entries
Captain's log, stardate 5483.7. The Enterprise has been ordered to provide standard escort for a small convoy of ore carriers heading toward Carson's World. Said ore carriers are to pick up and then transport to Bethulia III four million metric tons of heavy chromium and other duralloy ores. This shipment of alloy ores is necessary to the development of the burgeoning metals industry on Bethulia III, and to the planned construction next fiscal Starfleet year of two and possibly three new deep-space starships. In view of the Federation-Klingon Treaty of 5260 [sic] limiting offensive weaponry in this quadrant of space, it appears –
Ship's log ... stardate 5483.8. Chief Engineer Scott in command. We are continuing to hold standard orbit around a planet in the Taurean system. Probes and sensors utilized subsequent to the departure of the landing party indicate there was once a vast civilization here. However, life readings of any kind were sparse and concentrated. Captain Kirk has beamed down with others to investigate. Oh, fantastic!
Captain's log, stardate 5483.9. The beauty of this place is unequaled. It's the answer to all a man's secret desires, private fantasies, dreams. Exquisite in every way. We're here to investigate... here to investigate. To investiga... The women themselves radiate delight.
Ship's log, supplemental. Lieutenant Uhura recording. Due to Chief Engineer Scott's euphoric state of mind, which precludes effective direction, I am assuming command of the Enterprise in the absence of senior officers Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I accept full responsibility for my actions. A detailed account of the events leading up to and dictating this action will be entered later.
References
Characters
Episode characters
- Arex Na Eth • Carver • Christine Chapel • Dara • Davison • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Theela • Nyota Uhura • USS Enterprise computer • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2260s) (security guards)
Novelization characters
- Arex Na Eth • Carver • Christine Chapel • Darah • Davidson • James T. Kirk • John Kyle • Julianna van Leeuwenhook • Lewis • Leonard McCoy • Hondo McDuff • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Tadaki • Theela • Nyota Uhura • Vierne
- Referenced only
- Albert Einstein • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart • Shiboline M'Ress • Anne Nored • Carter Winston (Vendorian) • Weems
Starships and vehicles
Episode starships and vehicles
Novelization starships and vehicles
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • ore carriers
- Referenced only
- escort • frigate • Stormbird-class Romulan battlecruisers • Vulcan peaceforcer car
Locations
Episode locations
Novelization locations
- Kinshasa • Sector 4423/Cicada sector (Taurean system • Taurus II) • Valeria system (Valeria • Valeria orbital supply station)
- Referenced only
- Bethulia III • Carson's World • Darius IV • Demeter system (Dryad) • Dervish outpost • Earth • Mantilles • Rifton (Starfleet Science Center) • Romulan Neutral Zone • Vendor • Vulcan
Races and cultures
Episode races and cultures
Novelization races and cultures
States and organizations
Science and technology
- astrogation • chronometer • communicator • computer • cortropine • deflector • deflector shield generator • Feinberg receiver • food processor • headband • holography • hypospray • intercom • laser cannon • library computer • life support • life support belt • log torpedo • lura-mag • medical tricorder • medikit • medtable • microtape • opto-aud • Oyya • phaser • portable surgical probe • scanner • sensor • sensor probe • stimulant • subspace communication • subspace radio • surgical laser • Taurean headband • transporter • transporter computer • tricorder • turbolift • viewscreen • weapon
Units of measurement
- cosek • day • hour • light year • minute • parsec • quadrant • second • sector • warp speed (warp seven) • year
Ranks and titles
- admiral • captain • chief engineer • chief medical officer • communications officer • doctor • engineer • ensign • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • head nurse • helmsman • lieutenant • nurse • officer • politician • rank • science officer • security guard • security officer • Starfleet ranks • subengineer • technician • transporter chief • vice admiral • weatherman
Other references
- alert status (yellow alert) • architecture • assignment patch • atmosphere • atom • beam • brain pattern • bridge • bursitis • bush • captain's log • cave • chromium • cicada • city • civilization • coordinates • crystal • distress call • drum • estrogen • Federation-Klingon Treaty • fishing • flower • fungus • G type star • galaxy • guitar • hallucination • headache • hospital • hyperaging • insect • ionosphere • life force • lifeform • lightning • log • logic • magnetism • magnolia tree • marriage • metal • meter • metric ton • millimeter • mineral • molecule • mountain • music • nectar • orbit • orchid • parasite • parthenon • plant • psychokinesis • quarantine • radiation • rain • Saurian brandy • scouting party • shore leave • shuttle bay • sickbay • space • species • star map • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • stone • stun • subspace • Taurean nectar • telepathy • transporter room • tree • universe • urn • Vulcan marriage drum • Vulcan tassan • Welsh language
Appendices
Related stories
- TOS episode: "The Galileo Seven" – In 2267, the Taurean system was also visited in this episode.
- TOS comic: "The Aging World" – In the 2260s, the transporter restored rapidly aging Kirk and Scott.
- TAS episode: "The Time Trap" – In 2269, the Enterprise investigated the Delta Triangle, another region where starships went missing.
- TOS - Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor comic: "Error" – In 2271, a similar use of the transporter occurred in this story.
- TNG episode: "Unnatural Selection" – In 2365, the transporter restored a dying Katherine Pulaski.
Background
- Nyota Uhura assumed command of the Enterprise, the first time she was shown doing so during an episode. Previously, however, she had been shown in command four times in the UK comic strips series released in Great Britain. She was first shown in command in a comic strip published on September 27, 1969, when she took on the role of duty officer during the evening watch in "Spectre of the Zond". In a strip published April 11, 1970, she took command in "The Marshall Plan". In the strip for August 1, 1971, she again commanded the night shift in "Thorpex". And in the strip for November 20, 1971, she took command in "By Order of the Empire".
- The transporter trick of rematerializing with prerecorded molecular patterns was also used to restore a rapidly aging Katherine Pulaski in TNG episode: "Unnatural Selection". John Byrne explored the idea further in TOS - Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor comic: "Error", in which a society on Gamma Tarses VII used the technique effectively to become immortal. Alan Dean Foster emphasized in his novelization that using old patterns meant subjects lost memories of any events subsequent to the recording of the patterns. In "Error", this conundrum was solved by having subjects' memories copied prior to transport, then injecting them back into the subject after rematerialization. After thousands of uses, however, McCoy determined that pattern degradation errors would lead to their extinction.
- The episode's title referred to the myth of the seductive siren Lorelei who lived along the Rhine in Germany. She was depicted in Heinrich Heine's poem Die Lorelei in 1824. (Die Lorelei poem in English and German at the Poems in Translation website)
- The legend of the sirens was featured in Homer's Odyssey. Sea captain Ulysses survived the hypnotic sirens' song, which contained an irresistible compulsion to crash his ship along the shore, by having his crew tie him the mast of his ship. Kirk survived the mythical sirens' song in a scenario engineered by Beings in TOS comic: "What Fools These Mortals Be.." Geordi LaForge recreated the mythic sirens in a holodeck program in TNG comic: "I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing".
- The Taurean women were 2.5 meter giants in the novel, but normal height in the episode.
Novelization details
- The novelization was set in January 2270, continuing after the events of the prior novelization, "The Survivor", which took place around Christmas 2269, with Carter Winston (Vendorian) being dropped off in the Valeria system with Anne Nored as his security guard. The Enterprise crew spent nine days there on shore leave, then headed out after the new year on a mission to escort a fleet of ore ships before being assigned to investigate the Cicada sector.
- Kirk's log cited an unusual year, 5260, for the date of the signing of the Organian Peace Treaty.
- Only a dozen Taurean women lived on the planet.
- Dara was spelled Darah in the novelization, Davison was spelled Davidson, and the opto-aud was given the name of Oyya. Seductive transmissions were broadcast by a device called the lura-mag.
- Immediately after dropping off the Taurean women on Kinshasa, the Enterprise proceeded to Phylos.
Chronology
- 22nd century
- Taurean colony established, radiation killed men, sterilized women.
- c. 2133
- A starship disappeared in the Cicada sector.
- c. 2160
- A second starship disappeared in the sector precisely 27.346 star years later.
- c. 2187
- A third starship disappeared sector precisely 27.346 star years later.
- 2215
- A fourth starship disappeared in the sector precisely 27.346 star years later.
- 2242
- A fifth starship disappeared in the sector precisely 27.346 star years later.
- 2267
- Federation-Klingon Treaty signed.
- 2269
- Enterprise brought Taurean colony survivors to the medical facilities on Kinshasa.
Images
Connections
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous episode: The Survivor |
TAS episode produced | Next episode: One of Our Planets Is Missing |
| Previous episode: One of Our Planets Is Missing |
TAS episode aired | Next episode: More Tribbles, More Troubles |
| Previous story: The Survivor |
Log Two
|
Next story: The Infinite Vulcan |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Survivor |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: Witness for the Defense |
| Previous Adventure: The Survivor |
Next Adventure: The Infinite Vulcan | |
External links
- The Lorelei Signal article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- The Lorelei Signal article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- The Lorelei Signal article at Curt Danhauser's Guide to the Animated Star Trek.
- The Lorelei Signal review at TrekToday.
- The Lorelei Signal discussion at the Mission Log podcast.
- The Lorelei Signal discussion at the Saturday Morning Trek podcast.
